Several signaling pathways are involved in a wide range of physiologic functions in the immune, cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems. Two of these pathways are the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′ monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated pathway and the nitric oxide (NO)-mediated pathway. These pathways interact at a number of levels.
The diseases associated with signal transduction abnormalities (either increased or decreased signaling) include (but are not limited to) Alzheimer's disease, polycystic kidney disease, prostate cancer, atopic dermatitis, osteoarthritis, septic shock, congestive heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Over 50 diseases are known to be associated with specific major histocompatibility (MHC) alleles. Of these, RA is among the most prevalent, affecting 1–2% of the population. Over 50,000,000 individuals are afflicted with RA worldwide. At present, there is no cure for RA. What is needed is a way to counteract and reverse disease-causing signaling defects in conditions associated with major histocompatibility (MHC) aberrations, including but not limited to rheumatoid arthritis.